News

New Scam Targets Iowa Medicare Recipients

Mon 6-3-2019

(Des Moines)-- State officials are sounding the warning of a new scam that targets Iowa Medicare recipients.

The Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says it's received reports of Iowans being contacted about a preventive genetic testing service that they say is a scam.

Kris Gross, Director of the Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol, says people are being falsely being told that Medicare will pay for a preventive genetic test to check for cancer. Gross say Iowans are being contacted through a variety of means, including at health fairs, door to door and through telemarketing calls.

Gross says the scammers ask for a cheek swab to send to a lab for analysis. The individual is then asked for their Medicare number to cover the costs of the test. Gross says Medicare does not cover genetic testing, except in very rare circumstances, and such a test must be medically necessary and ordered by your own doctor.

Iowans can report suspected Medicare fraud by contacting the Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol at 800-351-4664 or online at https://iid.iowa.gov/iowa-smp-fraud-reporting-form.

The Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol is a service of the state of Iowa Insurance Division.